The Kyuubi Wakes at the Red Dawn
by Tropicalna
Summary: Two years have gone by since Sasuke went to Orochimaru and Naruto was pronounced dead, having disappeared without a trace. But who is this mysterious Akatsuki member? Could it be…?
1. Memories

**The Kyuubi Wakes at the Red Dawn**

**Two years have gone by since Sasuke went to Orochimaru and Naruto was pronounced dead, having disappeared without a trace. But who is this mysterious Akatsuki member? Could it be…?**

**This is a remake of a story I did, which I was disappointed in. I hope **_**this**_** version is much better. There is a prequel to this, which explains what happened during the time skip, such as motives and training, but that won't be out for some time. **

**The time period is after the time skip in the Canon series, but about a month before Gaara gets kidnapped.**

**Disclaimer**

**The Naruto Cast does not to belong to me, they belong to Kishimoto Mashashi.**

**Anything that doesn't belong in Naruto belongs to me.**

**Key**

"**Word" Talking**

'_**Thought**_**' Thinking**

"_**Fox**_**" Kyuubi Speaking**

* * *

Two years…It had almost been two years since Sasuke Uchiha had defected from Konoha and went to Orochimaru to gain the power he believed he needed to kill his older brother, Itachi Uchiha.

Two years since Naruto Uzumaki had disappeared without a trace and been pronounced dead.

Sakura sighed and looked out over the village from the Hokage Tower. Ironic that the blonde had disappeared on his birthday, the day that was celebrated throughout Konoha as the day the Fourth Hokage defeated the Kyuubi.

Tsunadae sat at her desk, deep in thought as well, a single, worn piece of paper in front of her, the only word on it being '_Goodbye_'. The last small connection they had to Naruto.

A single tear slipped down Sakura's cheek. They had searched for months, looking for him, but they just couldn't locate Naruto. They even went as far as asking the other villages, but they too, were clueless to his whereabouts.

Sakura remembered the last day she saw him.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

"_So you want me to go and escort a supply train?" Naruto asked, standing in fron of the Hokage's desk. "That sounds easy enough. When do I leave?"_

"_Today, at noon." Tsunadae answered. "Gather what you need, it'll be several days."_

"_Alright! I'll be at the meeting point! Bye Sakura-chan, Tsunadae-baa-chan!" Naruto grinned and waved farewell as he walked out the door._

"_Bye!" Sakura said cheerily from her position besides Tsunadae._

_None of them would ever see him again._

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

Nothing, nothing had hinted at him leaving, especially on his own will. It had been such a shock to the village when Tsunadae declared that Naruto could not be found, and was thus, dead.

It had been a terrible day when they held the funeral for him, because it signified that Naruto was really, truly, gone. The Rookie Nine had fallen into depressions of their own; Gaara started to sleep, which was dangerous for him. Shikamaru did not complain, and Hinata had just become completely silent, not saying a single word for several months.

Still, even though the festival reminded everyone of the kitsune boy, they celebrated it, now not only because of the Fourth's achievement, but in honor of the blonde boy who housed the Kyuubi, protecting the Fire Country.

Slowly, both women turned to each other and nodded, smiling sadly. "Let's go visit his shrine, Sakura. Before it gets crowded tomorrow."

* * *

"Hai, Tsunadae-sama." Sakura said, walking behind her master out the door.

"So, it's Shikamaru Nara, eh?"

"That's right."

"Are you sure you're okay going back there? I mean it _was_ your home village."

"I'm fine, really."

"You shouldn't bottle your emotions like that, It'S bad for you."

"Alright."

"Huh?"

_Smack!_

"Ouch! What the hell was that for!?"

"You told me that I shouldn't bottle up my emotions, so I followed your advice."

"…Meanie."

"Heh…"

* * *

**Oooh, who was talking at the end? Don't say who in the review though, it might spoil it for others. Feel free to ask in a Private Message though. **

**Constructive Criticism and Compliments welcome. Flames and Spams will be laughed at.**

**Tropi**


	2. Celebrations and Kidnappings

**The Kyuubi Festival is in full swing, and everyone is celebrating! Too busy celebrating, in fact, that they don't notice the two strangers who enter the village and head for the Nara compound….**

**Disclaimer**

**The Naruto Cast does not belong to me; they belong to Kishimoto Mashashi.**

**Anything that does not belong in Naruto belongs to me.**

**Key**

"**Word" Talking**

'_**Thought**_**' Thinking**

"_**Fox**_**" Kyuubi Speaking**

* * *

"And so I announce the beginning of the eighteenth annual Kyuubi Festival!" Tsunadae announced. The large crowd before her cheered in excitement and scattered.

Tsunadae glanced at Sakura, who stood beside her. "Sakura, go enjoy yourself, don't stick around me."

"But Tsunadae-sama-!!!" Sakura started to protest, but was cut off.

"Don't even." Her master warned. "Go with Hinata, I'm sure she'd enjoy some company."

Sakura faltered, remembering the Hyuuga girl. "I suppose you're right."

"Suppose? What are you talking about; I'm always right!" Tsunadae said. "Now go find her and catch her before she leaves."

Chuckling to herself, Sakura's eyes scanned the crowd and quickly spotted Hinata making her way to the Hyuuga Compound.

'_I better hurry._' Sakura quickly slipped through the spaces in the crowds and caught up to her. "Hinata!"

The girl looked up and glanced towards Sakura. "Oh, Sakura…"

"Hey, come with me!" Sakura gently grabbed Hinata's wrist. "Let's go get some dumplings!"

Hinata resisted. "Sakura, I'd r-rather not…"

Sakura paused and looked her friend in the eyes. "Hinata, I know you're sad, but we are too…You can't just hide yourself away every time the Kyuubi Festival is going on."

Hinata paused, biting her lips while blinking back tears. Many who knew Hinata also knew that she had dearly loved Naruto.

"I…"

"Come on!" Sakura tugged Hinata through the throngs of people. "If you don't want dumplings, there's always dango!"

"Sakura!" Hinata gasped, struggling to keep up with the medic. "Don't p-pull so hard! You're h-hurting my wrist!"

"Sorry!" Sakura slowed enough so that Hinata was by her side. "Ready?"

"Not really…" Hinata threw one last desperate glance in the direction of her home before following after Sakura.

* * *

Two figures slowly made their way down the path to Konoha; both wearing straw hats with strands of paper and a bell hanging from the conical shape on their heads. They had donned black cloaks with red clouds on them, the sleeves too large for them and a ridiculously high neckband.

"Senpai, I was thinking…." The taller of the two looked at his companion.

"Hmm?" The other looked up.

"Since we're here, why not take some time to relax? There _is_ a festival going on, after all."

"In case you haven't forgotten, we're on a mission." The shorter said.

"But senpaiii!" The taller pleaded. "Please! Just for a few minutes! I'll even pay!"

There was a quiet sigh from his companion. "Alright, fine. If you're going to be like that, let's use a transformation jutsu."

"Yay!" The tall man performed the sign for a simple henge, and transformed into a young man who was in his early thirties; with a grey-brown loose-fitting shirt and black baggy pants. His hair was colored grey-black, being bushy and shoulder length. His eyes were a worn sea-green color.

The other transformed into a tall, thin young man, appearing to be a little over twenty. He had chosen long, very pale blonde hair that had been French-braided, and narrowed eyes with a silvery-blue iris. He wore a tight black shirt and light tan pants that hugged his waist, but then became loose around the legs.

"Don't let it drop until we begin our mission, got that…Obito-san?" The younger man said.

"Hai, Namu-kun!" 'Obito' grinned maliciously as they neared the gates and into view of the guards.

As expected, they were stopped at the gates and were asked for passports. Both flipped out passports with pictures identical to their henge; this was not the first time they had used the form apparently.

"And you're business?" The guard asked.

"Just here for the festival." Namu said. "Plus the ramen bar here has excellent ramen." He absent-mindedly licked his lips in anticipation, while Obito has a sinking feeling that his wallet was soon going to be emptied of all of its valuable contents.

"Alright, I hope you enjoy your stay!" The guard waved them off and they continued on.

"That was….ridiculously easy." Obito said. "Has Konoha really gotten this weak?"

"Don't underestimate them." Namu warned. "Let your guard down for even a moment, and they'll kill you."

"So you say…" Obito looked away, observing the going-ons of the citizens of Konoha. He was interrupted from his thoughts by an unusual high-pitched squeal of excitement from his partner.

"It's Ichiraku's!" Namu's eyes had taken on a strange light, and he was practically jumping up and down in excitement, hurrying towards the ramen bar.

Obito groaned, sensing the impeding doom of his wallet steadily approach.

* * *

"Come on! We have to hurry to Ichiraku's before anyone else!" Three genin rushed towards the famous ramen stand , sharply turning a corner and spotting the small restaurant .

Konohamaru burst through the curtains first, eyes wide and cheeks red, his chest heaving up and down with exertion. He was quickly followed by Moegi and Udon, who had not slowed down. They crashed into their teammate and crushed him into the counter, squeezing the air out oh him.

"Moegi…Udon…." He wheezed. "Can't…breathe…!!!"

"Oh, gomenasai." Udon and Moegi backed off, allowing the other boy to regain his breath and fill his lungs with oxygen. "That hurt." He complained.

"So sorry, Konohamaru-kun!" Moegi apologized, bowing quickly to her friend.

"It…It's alright, Moegi." Konohamaru sighed and sat down on a barstool, his friends taking the seats on either side of him.

There was a chuckled from their far left, and all three looked up to see two other customers who had watched the entire scene. Konohamaru flushed red and glared at the offending person, before turning his eyes back to the menu.

"Whoa…did you eat all that?" Udon asked from beside him. Confused, Konohamaru glanced back up at the strangers, and his jaw practically hit the floor.

Stacked besides the younger man, a blonde, were about ten or more empty ramen bowls, and he was slurping down another.

AT the question he paused and looked up at them. "Yup!" Without another word he finished the last of his bowl and placed it with the others, before ordering another one.

The team looked at the man's companion, who was slightly more elder, His forehead was rested against the edge of the countertop, and he seemed to be in a bad mood. Konohamaru briefly overhearing him muttering about how much it was going to cost.

He grinned and ordered his own bowl.

As the man started to order another bowl of ramen, he found a hand securely clamped over his mouth. "That's enough." The elder companion said firmly. "If you eat anymore, I won't have the money to rent us an inn."

"But-"

"No."

"Pfft. Fine." Grumbling to himself, the man stood up while his friend emptied most of his wallet onto the counter.

Now it was Konohamaru's turn to snicker, and the blonde pointedly ignored him.

Moegi pulled a face. "Ew…You've eaten so much so fast that it's disgusting. You're just like…" Her voice trailed off, and the three minors became silent.

"Just like…" The man asked, ignoring the warning look from his partner.

"Well, this person we knew, his name was Naruto, and he ate just as much ramen." Udon explained quietly.

"Oh? What happened to him?" The man asked.

"He died." Konohamaru said flatly.

There was silence for a few minutes as even the old man and his daughter paused, silently mourning.

The blonde haired man gave a quiet sigh. "I see. I'm sorry to hear."

Without thinking Konohamaru added, "This festival is kind of in honor of him, you know. He hosted the Kyuubi."

Both men's eyes widened. "Is that so?" The black haired man asked, finally taking a part in their conversation.

"Yes." Konohamaru said, in a tone that indicated their discussion was over.

Taking the cue, they thanked the owner of the stand and left, leaving them in morbid silence.

* * *

Namu chuckled as they walked away from the ramen stand. "How interesting."

Obito smirked in agreement. "To think, they're now celebrating it in honor of…" He snorted in badly hidden laughter.

"Tch. Well, we'll see what happens after tonight…" Namu said, turning down a dark alley.

"If we get caught, that is…they'll remain ignorant for the rest of their lives, if we escape unseen." Obito said, releasing his hand sign and transforming back into his real, but hidden, self.

"Hmph. Let's get this over with." The shorter figure turned and started to walk away, heading for the Nara compound.

* * *

Shikamaru finished running the comb through his hair one last time and set in on the dresser, looking himself over to make sure he was presentable. Not that it really mattered; he was dressed in his chuunin outfit as usual, which his date would probably be unhappy with.

Yes, he, the lazy ass genius, has finally gotten around to getting a date for the Kyuubi festival; Temari. The girl had _almost_ squealed when he asked, but managed to get it to a very tight hug and said yes. What a relief; he would have hated to try and ask another girl, like...Ino, for instantce. It wasn't that he disliked Ino, just that it was troublesome to ask another girl. (Not as troublesome as Temari though. AFter all, it was a hassle to travel three days just to see your girlfriend.)

Sighing, he turned around and walked to the door, but froze with his hand on the knob. "Who's there?" He demanded, calling out into the darkened room.

First there was nothing, then the sound of shuffling of clothes as two figures made themselves apparent in the area behind him, in the center of his bedroom.

"Very good, you apprehended us right before we made our move." The shorter person said. His voice seemed familiar, but Shikamaru couldn't place where he'd heard it.

"But…that doesn't matter. You're coming with us." Ther person spoke again, his taller companion remaining silent.

Shikamaru whirled around to look at them, and his eyes widened in shock. Black cloaks with red clouds on them… "You're…"

"Yes, we are part of the organization know as Akatsuki." The genius had decided that the speaker was a young boy in his late teens, but he had no idea who would be that young as well in the Akatsuki. Not Itachi Uchiha, he would be about twenty…so who?

"Forget it; I'm not going with you." Shikamaru slowly turned the knob and cracked the door open, keeping his eyes trained on the duo, who were watching him as carefully as he was them.

"That wasn't asking, that was a demand; you don't have a choice in this matter." The boy said, taking a small step forward. Shikamaru ran, fast. He threw open the door and it slammed into the wall and bounced back, but it did not seem to slow the two down in the least.

Shikamaru had barely managed to get to his front door when he felt arms roughly grab him and yank him backwards.

He felt fingers at the back of his neck that quickly located the pressure points that would knock him out.

AS his head lolled backwards, darkness quickly gathering on his vision, he saw a mess of blonde hair, and sparkling cerulean eyes.

Shikamaru gaped. "You…"

If he ever received an answer, he would never know because his body went limp and his eyes closed.

* * *

"That was a bit more chaotic than I intended it." The shorter of the two said, hefting Shikamaru over his shoulder and turning to leave through an open window.

"I don't see any ANBU running towards us, so I assume we're in the okay." The taller man said.

"Still…let's hurry, I don't want to stick around here much longer, now that we have him."

"Alright, Senpai. You know the way out of here."

They ran in silence for a while, going out of their way to take the paths that had little, if any, people in the streets.

In a few minutes the Konoha Main Gate had come into view.

"Finally!" The younger hissed, speeding up. His hear thumped in his chest as he came closer to the wide open gates…closer…closer…

Suddenly they were surrounded by at least ten ANBU.

"Oh, god damn it!" The teen swore.

* * *

Sakura and Hinata walked among the main streets of Konoha, admiring the decoration in the Konoha shop windows.

Their peacefulness was to come to an abrupt end as a sudden explosion came from a right side-alley up ahead, and a dead ANBU was sent crashing through a window in a cake shop.

Screams rang through the street as people fled the scene in a hurry; if there was a shinobi battle going on it was best to leave if you couldn't defend yourself.

Two figures emerged from the smoke of said alley and ran along the building wall, moving incredibly fast.

"What-!?" Sakura gasped in alarm. '_An attack? Now?_' Her eyes widened even more when she saw the design on their cloaks; black with red clouds- Akatsuki.

Hinata let out a short scream. "They have Shikamaru!"

"What!?" Sakura's eyes quickly sought out and found the lazy genius, who was indeed hung limply over on one of their shoulders.

"No! We have to stop them!" Sakura said, already tightening the gloves on her hands.

"R-right!" Hinata and Sakura pursued them without hesitation, but were forced to avoid another ANBU that was sent hurtling towards them a kunai stuck fast in his throat, already dead.

Two ANBU sped in front of the Akatsuki, forcing the two to leap down two stories onto the solid ground, where they continued to speed towards the gates.

There path was blocked off, however, as Kakashi Hatake appeared, accompanied by Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru, Neji Hyuuga, Chouji Akamichi, and several others that Sakura did not recognize.

In moments, the two Akatsuki members found themselves by Chuunin, Jounin, and ANBU alike.

The looked around uncertainly; the pink haired medic could tell this by the way the strands of paper on their hats moved.

"Ah geez…." The shorter one said, a boy. "In yet _another_ tight situation. Remind me again why we're always in this kind of mess?"

"Usually because we've slipped up somewhere…" His partner said. "Perhaps it was because we stopped and ate."

"I imagine so…" Without warning the shorter of the two whacked his partner on the arm. "That's for whining too much!"

"Ouch! What the hell Senpai!" The other clutched his arm in pain. "That friggin hurt!"

"Good." The boy said grouchily, turning back to face Kakashi. "Abusing my partner aside; how would you prefer to fight?"

The Copy Ninja blinked in surprise. "What…?"

"I mean, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu…any preferences?" The younger said. "I hate fighting with an advantage, there's not much challenge to it. It's really rather boring, so to say."

Kakashi blinked again, baffled. He had seen many strange things in his life, but this seemed a bit beyond his grasp.

Although she knew the situation was critical, Sakura couldn't help but give a small smile; the scene was so comical! After all, how many people asked what fighting style you used so that they _didn't_ have an advantage?

Kakasi regained his composure. "That really doesn't matter. What matters now is that you've invaded our village _and_ taken one of our shinobi. Return him!"

"You speak of him like he's an item that one can simply buy or return on will…" The taller commented. "Is that the way you treat your shinobi? Geez, our organization is better than that, and you consider us selfish and uncaring!...Which we kind of are…"

"Tch." Kakashi got into a fighting stance, but Kiba surprised them all by holding out a hand. "Hold it." Every eye turned to look at the Inuzuka, who had a strangely serious expression on his face. Something was off, he just knew it.

"Before we fight, I want to know just one thing…" Kiba said. "Why is it that you smell exactly like….Naruto Uzumaki?"

There was a dead silence in the crowd, while the two members of the dreaded organization straightened and tensed, slightly alarmed.

"The scent has hardly changed; it just smells more of testosterone." Kiba continued. "And the scent is _strong._ It's surrounding the both of you."

Everyone stared, more confused than ever at the two Akatsuki members. Just who _were_ these people?

Without warning, the taller of the two was whacked once more, this time in the head. The hat fell off, revealing a strangely orange masked person with a single eye hole on the right.

"Baka, that's for not reminding me to do the de-scenting jutsu!" The older said angrily. "I thought I told you to remind me!"

"But Senpai!" The other protested, "I did, and you said later! Tobi reminded you again, _later_, and you said later again! And then you said there was ramen, and wouldn't let Tobi speak…I never fail in my duties because Tobi is a good boy!"

"That doesn't give you an excuse, Tobi." The still mysterious figure said, shifting Shikamaru on his shoulder into a more comfortable position.

Hinata stared. What the hell was up with these two? They had to be bipolar or something, their sudden changes in attitude wasn't normal.

Sighing, the boy turned back to the Kiba, obviously unwilling to continue arguing with his partner.

"Sorry about that…as for the answer to your question…" The figure paused in his speech dramatically, creating even more tension in the air.

"Do you really want to know?" He reached up and grasped the edge of his hat firmly, preparing to lift it from his head. "The answer to your question? Why I smell like him?"

"I'll tell you…" He slowly started to lift the hat up. "It's because..."

The hat fluttered to the ground, showing a mess of bright, blonde hair, a slightly tanned face with whisker marks and startlingly clear blue eyes. There was a confident, oh so familiar smile on his face. The forehead protector on his headband had a deep scratch through the middle. "I am Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Dun Dun DUN! XD Don't worry, we'll find out what happens in the **_**next**_** chapter.**

**Constructive Criticism and Compliments welcome. Flames and Spams will be laughed at.**

**Tropi**


	3. Realization

**Could it be….!? Is Naruto really an Akatsuki member, or is this all some sick, twisted joke?**

**Um, just to let you know, the following pairings will NOT be included in this story:**

**Naruto x Tobi**

**Naruto x Any of the Akatsuki members, period (Although there will be some brotherly feelings between Deidara and Naruto.)**

**Naruto x Sakura**

**Sasuke x Naruto**

**Yea….I just want to clear up some confusion there. **

**It's a D!**

**No, it's an I!**

**Are you sure it's not an S?**

**It looks like a C.**

**It makes me think of L.**

**I'm pretty sure it's an A.**

**No it's not, it's an I!**

**It could be an M…**

**IF you ask me, it looks like an E.**

**I swear, it's an R…**

**Everyone: -gasp- It's….a DISCLAIMER!!!**

**The Naruto Cast does not belong to me; they belong to Kishimoto Mashashi.**

**Anything that does not belong in Naruto, belongs to me.**

**Anyone's characters who are used in the current chapters will have their disclaimer put up as well.**

**Key**

"**Word" Talking**

'_**Thought**_**' Thinking**

"_**Fox**_**" Kyuubi speaking.**

* * *

**WARNING! THIS STORY DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS AS OF NOW!**

* * *

There was a shocked silence as every eye in the vicinity took in what they saw.

Sakura opened her mouth, trying to say something, but she only contributed to the silence.

"Hehehe…looks like you won't attack me now." Naruto smirked, and it wasn't like anything Sakura had ever witnessed on his face. Usually he smiled with honesty or true happiness, but this…it was a sly look, and one glance could tell he had killed many more than the average shinobi.

"Such a pity; I was looking for a good fight, but I guess it won't happen now…Let's go, Tobi."

"Hai, Senpai!" They took a step forward, but Lee snapped into action.

"How can you be Naruto-kun?" Lee demanded. "He would never join an organization as dishonorable as Akatsuki!"

"Oh, but I have." Naruto glanced at Lee. "Lee, was it? Oh yea, I remember…fitness freak."

Sakura could hear Hinata inhale sharply besides her. '_This can't be Naruto…he would never call us that, especially to Lee._'

Lee grimaced. "Better to be fit than to be out of shape."

Surprisingly 'Naruto' (Sakura refused to believe this could really be her former teammate) nodded in agreement. "That is true…"

"Release Shikamaru, and we might just let you live!" It was proposed as a challenge, and Sakura knew it would not turn out well for the boy.

"Release…? Alright, but only if you can beat me in a quick Taijutsu spar." Naruto tossed Shikamaru to Tobi, who easily caught the boy and swung him over his shoulder, as if he had done something like this hundreds of times before.

"You are underestimating me, stranger." Lee said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You choose to be ignorant even when the evidence stares you in the face? Whatever…" He shrugged. "Your loss."

"Lee-" Kakashi warned, but the spandex-clad teenager cut him off. "I'll be fine. Just let me handle this…It'll be over in the blink of an eye!"

Sakura clenched her fists. '_Be careful, Lee!_'

Two small craters were formed as Lee dropped his weights. Naruto did not react, just kept that sly smile on his face, disguising whatever he might be thinking.

"Ah, hold on." Tobi held out a hand. "Lee-san, are you sure you want to go through with this? Naruto-Senpai is quite skilled. You will most likely not live afterwards, if you are not killed during battle."

"As I said, you are underestimating me." Lee replied. "I will not back down."

Tobi shrugged with his free arm. "Not my problem then."

"Tobi, summon your hammer. This won't take long." Naruto ordered. Tobi shook his head up and down so fast it became a blur. "Hai, Senpai!" He started performing hand seals at a mediocre rate, as If unconcerned that it might be copied. The orange masked ninja carefully balanced Shikamaru on a knee while standing on one leg, something which is technically complicated to do, but he seemed to be managing it fairly well.

"I'll be nice and let you go first." Naruto's stance was completely relaxed, as if he had nothing to fear at all. Lee was right, this Akatsuki member _was_ underestimating him.

"Such a pity, since you will not be able to make a move of your own." And in a blur, Lee was gone. It only took a few seconds for him to reappear though, this time behind Naruto.

"Konoha Senpuu!" Lee delivered a powerful kick, right where Naruto…was? The blonde had disappeared, leaving Lee's foot to sail through empty air.

'_Wha…!!!_' Sakura's eyes widened as a yellow, black, and red blur slammed Lee into the ground, yanking his head up via hair and holding a sharpened kunai to the exposed flesh of a tender neck.

"I could kill you." Naruto said quietly, but in a voice that everyone could hear. "I could slit your throat, and you would only be on of thousands I have done this to….I could…but I won't." He pressed the pressure points in the back of Lee's neck, and the boy went limp.

"Senpai, you're still soft!" Tobi scolded, still forming hand seals. He would have been done by now, except he was going at a ridiculously slow pace, choosing to take his time.

"Who are you?" Kakashi demanded angrily. Like Sakura, he too did not believe that this could really be the blonde they had known several years ago.

"I told you, I'm Naruto." Naruto said. He then turned to Tobi and spoke to him. "Take note of this Tobi; people try to convince themselves otherwise when they don't want to believe something."

Tobi nodded eagerly. "And then they tell other people what they think, and those people think it's the truth and then they tell other people, and in the end, all that gets spread around is someone's false beliefs!"

"Very good Tobi. Remind me to give you a cookie when we get back to the base."

"Cookie!"

Naruto chuckled and turned back to Kakashi. "Anything else?"

"Prove it." There was a note of desperation in the Copy Ninja's voice. "Prove you're Naruto." He didn't want to believe that this was really his student, the sweet innocent kid who was always positively and could make friends with anyone, not his Naruto.

"That's it?" Naruto seemed generally shocked. "Prove it? That's _it_? Fine! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A second Naruto appeared, and in moments Naruto held up a perfectly formed Rasengan.

"If that's not proof, then I can identify most of you." Naruto glowered, as if seeming to be upset at Kakashi's choice of words. He whirled around and started pointing out people, calling out names. "Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru, Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyuuga…hey, it's Sakura Haruno! The useless one!"

Sakura twitched. '_Useless!?_' And then something else hit her. He knew her last name. She didn't have a clan, and he knew her last name. The Akatsuki would _never_ go to the trouble of learning her last name unless... "N-Naruto…"

"That's right!" He spat. "Has it finally sunk into those thick heads of yours? Ugh!" He stomped his foot on Lee's back, and he cried out in pain, out of a reflex.

"Tobi, let's go, _now_."

"Hai, Senpai!"

"Hold it!" This time it was Chouji who stepped forward. "Naruto."

Naruto paused, one foot in the air. "Hark! Has my name been spoken with sincerity, in the absolute knowledge that I am Naruto Uzumaki?" His eyes flashed to Chouji, a glint of amusement in them. All traces of anger were gone.

"Naruto, I do not know why you are doing this, but I cannot let you leave!" Chouji said. His voice quivered slightly, but he refused to back down. "If I have to kill you, then so be it!"

Ino looked at her friend. '_Chouji…_'

"Heh…" Naruto smirked. "Chouji…do you really think you can stand up to me?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Heh, then it won't matter if I insult your clan, since obviously you can't beat me." Naruto smirk grew into a grin. "So tell me, Chouji, how is your clan can still move around?"

Sakura froze. He did not…

"I mean, you're all so ridiculously _fat_, it's a wonder the ground doesn't crack whenever you take a step!" Naruto was really getting into it.

No…

"You should just stop trying!"

NO!

"You…" Chouji growled. "How dare you!?" He was pissed, and Sakura was glad that no other Akimichi was within hearing distance, as it went undoubted that they would also attack.

"Human Bullet Tank!" Chouji sped towards Naruto, gaining speed and ferocity. Naruto smirked, yanking Shikamaru from Tobi's knee and hefting him back over his shoulder. "Now, Tobi!"

"Thor Kanazuchi!" Tobi finished up the jutsu, and a giant hammer appeared. The handle was long and thick, at the end there was a large steel chunk as big as Tobi's head. Lighting crackled all along the item, and in a flash Kakashi knew what it would do.

"Everyone, move!" No one hesitated to get out of the way.

The sound of the hammer making contact with Chouji sounded much like ten sonic booms in one. The collapsed several buildings in the general area, and cracked others in multiple places.

Chouji shot off like a super-charged cannonball, crashing right through the Konoha Main Gates and beyond, most likely farther down the dirt road. He left a trail of destruction in his wake, dirt and rocks being tossed up into the air. Lee was tossed back several meters, landing/crashing into the ruins of what had once been a humble book shop.

Naruto and Tobi did not hesitate in following after him, while everyone was still stunned from the attack. It was Shikaku who reacted first, but even then they knew it was too late.

"MY SON!" He roared, trembling with rage and chasing after them. "Give him back!"

"Shikaku, no!" Asuma went to stop him, but Shukaku refused to listen, charging ahead into the darkness where the two Akatsuki members and Shikamaru had disappeared.

"Shit, we need to stop him!" Asuma whirled around. "Kiba, Neji, Kakashi, come with me and we'll follow! Sakura, you too!"

"Hai!"

They quickly joined his side and ran off, following the fresh scent of Shikaku, Shikamaru….and Naruto.

Hinata watched them go, shaking and trembling, tears running down her eyes. '_Naruto…_'

* * *

Two days, that was how long they had been chasing the Akatsuki duo. However, the scent was very faint, and Sakura knew it was hopeless; it would take a miracle to catch up with them now.

"Kiba, Pakkun?" Kakashi asked when they paused.

Kiba shook his head, and Pakkun spoke up, "They've used smoke bombs here, and probably for a mile wide radius up ahead, since the smell hasn't gone away."

"And this means?" Shikaku pressed. His eyes were wide and bloodshot; during the entire time they had pursued Shikamaru, he had not slept, and had barely eaten, only taking time to chug down some water before continuing on again, urging the others to do the same. It was amazing how far he would go for his son, but Sakura realized that if it was her child in danger, she would do the same thing.

"It means," Kiba said, "We've lost them. Even my nose can't track them down now. There isn't even a trace of their scent in all this; they've used a de-scenting jutsu."

"What?" Shikaku's voice was dangerously low.

"Look, you know we're upset, but there's nothing-" Kiba was cut off as Shikaku wheeled around, eyes blazing.

"We _will_ find my son, and we _will_ get him back, and we _will not_ go back until we do so!" Shikaku roared.

"Shikaku-"

"No!" The Nara was stating to rant. "We won't, we have to save him, we _have_ to!"

The group, excluding Shikaku, who looked ready to kill someone, exchanged looks, and Kakashi stepped forward.

Shikaku slumped forward, unconscious. Tears silently streamed down his face, but he said nothing, couldn't.

"We need to go back to the village and report to Tsunadae, where we'll await further instruction. Going out like this could have put us in the Bingo Books, but I have a feeling they'll let it slide." Kakashi's voice was flat, devoid of emotion except sadness.

"Hai, Kakashi." Slowly the group turned and trudged back.

* * *

"Think they've given up?" Tobi asked, shifting Shikamaru into a better position on his shoulder.

"Most likely; those smoke bombs should have confused them enough for them not to realize we doubled back and tailed them." Naruto said.

"Tobi hopes so…"

"I wish you wouldn't speak like that when it's just the two of us; I know who you really are." Naruto grimaced.

"Hehehehe…." Tobi smirked underneath his mask. "But let's not forget the target, here."

"Oh please, he's unconscious." Naruto rolled his cerulean blue eyes in annoyance, but was secretly glad. He liked Tobi better than Madara.

"Hmph."

* * *

Tsunadae struggled not to reach for the bottle of sake located on the corner of her desk.

She had sent a message to Gaara three nights ago, and had just received a response; the Kazekage was on his way. He probably only had a day or more to go, seeing as how he noted in his letter that he would be traveling right after it was sent off, and he was only taking Kankuro with him.

Plus there was the shattered Temari. Temari had admired Naruto for changing her brother into the person he was today, and she loved Shikamaru, and was supposedly to have been ready to go on a date with him during the Kyuubi festival. She was currently in the hospital for shock treatment.

Chouji was alive, but in intensive care. His body had been burnt all over, multiple bones broken, and there was a high chance of him having amnesia. Things were not looking good for the boy, but he had a better chance of surviving now, having gotten past the first twenty-four hours. There were nurses at his bedside, ready to leap into action at any sign of danger.

And then there was the _damn_ council. They had wanted Naruto to be captured and executed immediately, but Tsunadae had said no. Naruto might have kidnapped one of their most valued shinobi, he may have joined the Akatsuki, but they'd have to kill her before they killed him.

Tsunadae groaned, rubbing her temples. There was a knock at the door and she grudgingly barked, "Come in!"

Kakashi, Asuma, Sakura, Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, and Shikaku entered the room, looking crestfallen and exhausted.

"You didn't catch them." Tsunadae stated simply.

"No." Kakashi sighed. "They used smoke bombs to confuse the scents, and they were fast. We would have lost them eventually, smoke bombs or not. I'm sorry, Hokage-sama."

Tsunadae sighed. "Very…well." She struggled not to make her voice tremble, but she was so choked up that it was impossible. "Dismissed, get some rest. Gaara will be here by tomorrow, and I want you to be present."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kakashi poofed away, and the others trudged off to their homes.

IT was then the Hokage finally broke down crying, and without hesitation, reached for the bottle of sake.

* * *

"Naruto."

"Hmm?" Naruto looked up at Madara.

"You didn't kill him." Madara continued on. There was no trace of the hyperactive and cheerful Tobi.

Naruto was silent for a bit. "No."

"I am disappointed."

"I am sorry."

Madara suddenly wheeled around and smacked Naruto on the cheek. The boy gave a startled cry and fell down. "Do not do it again. Next time…kill him. Or else."

"Alright, Madara-sama." Naruto kept his eyes down. "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do."

"Good boy." Madara smirked and started to walk straight. "Come on, we lost time doubling back."

"Yes, Madara-sama." Naruto followed like a dog on a leash, not even bothering to fight the dark mental grip Madara held him with.

* * *

Tsunadae groaned, struggling to keep down the Tylenol. Over fifty bottles of sake in under an hour, a new record…and a regrettable one.

There was a knock on the door and Tsunadae warily glanced up. "Come in!" Instantly she winced. Her voice was so hoarse and slurred even she didn't recognize it.

Danzou entered the room, and the Fifth inwardly cursed. "What?" She snapped.

"Hello, Tsunadae-hime." Danzou greeted, ignoring her harsh tone. "I have a few things to discuss with you."

"If it's about killing Naruto, then forget it." Tsunadae said.

Danzou kept on smiling, and Tsunadae resisted the urge to punch him. "Oh no, it's about Team Kakashi."

Tsunadae sighed. "What?"

"With the recent turn of events, I believe it is time to reassign a third member to Team Kakashi…and I have just the person in mind."

The warning bells went off in the back of Tsunadae's mind, but in the haze of the hangover, she ignored them. "Oh?"

"Yes…I want you to meet Sai." Danzou stepped aside, revealing a boy who was around Sakura's age.

He was tall and deathly pale, as if he had been living under a rock his entire life. He wore a mid-riff shirt and had jet black hair, as well as a writing scroll on his personage. There was also a type of sword with him, but Tsunadae did not bother identifying it.

"Hello." The boy said, wearing a fake smile. "My name is Sai."

* * *

**Yep, Sai has been introduced an arc early, obviously to help move the plot along. Enjoy the twist.**

**I plan to go back and edit this chapter later on, point out a few details and put in more details about the pursuit, but for now, it's pretty good, and I wanted to get this out. **

**Constructive Criticism and Compliments Welcome. Flames and Spams will be laughed at.**

**Tropi**


	4. The Sealing

**Having evaded the pursuit team, Naruto and Tobi head for the nearest Akatsuki base, where interrogations on Shikamaru will commence. Meanwhile, the village is on high alert, and to make matters worse, Gaara has arrived, and he is NOT a happy Kazekage.**

**I apologize for the super late update. My muse mysteriously disappeared on me –cough- Ulquiorra –cough- and so I forced myself to finish the chapter. (Cyber cookie for anyone who knows who Ulquiorra is.)**

**Panda-Chan-San – To answer your question about the Obito/Tobi/Madara thing, Obito was used as a mockery of the theory that Tobi is Obito in disguise. For the ending to work, I'm going with the Tobi/Madara. (But on a side note, I enjoy the Tobi/Obito theory much better.)**

**Thank you to Quathis, who agreed to beta this for me. To the rest of the readers, I hope that the chapters will start to turn out better.**

**Also, if anyone can come up with a good name for a prequel of this story, I'd be interested to hear. (Although, you will probably not see it until I get some other fics finished.)**

**Disclaimer**

**The Naruto Cast does not belong to me, they belong to Kishimoto Mashashi.**

**Anything that does NOT belong in Naruto, belongs to me, unless said otherwise.**

**Key**

"**Word" Talking**

'_**Thought**_**' Thinking**

"_**Demon**_**" Bijuu Speaking**

* * *

Shikaku sat in a chair, blankly staring at a Shogi board. Sometimes he made to move a piece, but then paused and leaned back again, arm dropping limply at his side.

Sakura sighed and walked up to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Shikaku looked up, he sacs underneath his eyes black and purple from lack of sleep, and his eyes red from crying.

"Any sign of him?" Shukaku croaked out, as if he hadn't used it for years.

Sakura shook her head sadly, and Shukaku's head dropped back down to his chest.

"Shikaku-san, we need you to be present when Kazekage-sama arrives." Sakura said.

"What good will it do?" Shikaku moaned. "He's gone…gone…Gone!" In a sudden rage he stood up and sent the Shogi board to the floor, scattering the pieces everywhere. Sakura was shaken, but determined. His eyes were wide open and glazed over with hysteria, but just as soon as it began, it ended, and he flopped back down in his chair, all will and motivation gone.

Sakura wanted to pat him on the back, to try and comfort him, but she herself was confused and disoriented. Standing out among them though was hurt and betrayal. But right now she had to focus on Shikaku, not herself.

Remembering her trump card, Sakura carefully chose her words. "The Kazekage has promised to send out Sand Shinobi to look for Shikamaru, but he needs a full testament of all those who went and pursued them." Sakura had no actual idea what Gaara was planning, but she hoped that he would indeed send out sand shinobi to look for them.

Shikaku was back on his feet once again, and his eyes now held the gleam of determination. "What are you standing around for? Let's go!"

Sakura nodded and followed him out of the Nara clan compound. There were traces of a smile on her face, bemused at the man's antics when it came to his precious son. But then Sakura realized that she too, would do the same for her own child.

"Hurry it up! Damnit, we don't have all day!" Shukaku ordered. Sighing, Sakura followed after the suddenly impatient Nara.

* * *

"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed. "I can see the entrance now!" There was a bit of a skip in his step as he neared the massive redwood tree that was one of their many bases located throughout the shinobi countries.

"Yes!" Tobi cheered as well. "Tobi will finally be able to drop this deadweight!" The orange masked ninja certainly seemed eager to set Shikamaru down. The boy had woken up twice, but each time he was swiftly knocked out again, before he could gain any kind of sense of his surroundings.

Naruto chuckled and strolled up to the redwood, which appeared to be a normal, giant tree…except for the seal on it. The blonde performed a hand sign, and lines were made visible in the redwood, like a giant arc.

With a low grinding sound that arc like door wary slid to the side, and the two, plus Shikamaru, entered.

"Well, well, well….look who finally showed up, un." Came a taunting voice from with the darkness of the tree. Only a single lamp lit up the inside, but anyone could see that it was a large area. There appeared to be stairs heading down to an underground level, but it could have been a trick of the light.

"Oh, shut up Deidara. You would have taken longer." Naruto growled as the door slid shut again.

Tobi carelessly dropped Shikamaru by the lap, creating cloud of dust as the Konoha ninja landed on the earthen floor. "Finally…"

"Heh." Deidara walked into the light, a smirk plastered onto his face. "Think what you want. I'm assuming this is Shikamaru-kun?"

"Uh-huh." Naruto nodded. "We had some trouble getting out, but we're not going to be found here any time soon. Where's Sasori?"

"Downstairs preparing, Kakuzu and Hidan are coming with the Nanabi, un." Deidara replied, absent mindedly working some clay in his hand. "But before they get here, I need to ask you some stuff."

"Ask." Naruto said, flopping down.

"You defeated the Ichibi jinchuuriki in the Chuunin exams the year that Sound and Suna invaded Konoha, un." Deidara stated simply.

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're looking for possible strategies to defeat Gaara." The only response he got from the older blonde was the widening of his smirk.

Naruto sighed. "Well, Gaara has the ability to manipulate sand to his will, and even if he's off-guard, his sand will protect him without him having to even move. As far as I know of, he can control any amount of sand as long as he has the chakra to do so. However, the sand in his gourd, and the gourd itself, are already chakra infused, making it easier to manipulate than normal sand."

Tobi procured some bread and offered it to the others, both who took a piece.

"Hmm…" Deidara frowned. "So if he had the chakra, the entire Suna country could come alive?"

"Pretty much, but he doesn't have that much chakra, so I wouldn't worry about something like that." Naruto said. "If you're going to capture him, you'll have to knock both him and Shukaku out."

"And how do I do that, un?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "You'll have to drain most of his chakra. If you don't, and Gaara falls unconscious, then you'll be fighting the Ichibi in person." There was a warning tone in his voice. "That's what I went up against, and I had to summon Gamabunta and do a combined transformation to beat the Ichibi. I wasted most of my chakra that time, and I have more than you do."

"So it would be best if I had some clay already prepared…I see, un." Deidara lay flat on his back, done asking questions. Now he had to plan.

"When do you plan to go after him?" Naruto asked.

"In a couple of weeks, un." Deidara answered shortly.

* * *

Gaara reached for the canteen of water at his side, but paused to look at it when it abruptly split in half. Kankuro paused as well, staring at the broken canteen.

"What happened?" Kankuro asked. "Why did it break?"

Gaara frowned. "I don't know." Glancing up he could just barely see the Konoha Walls, but it would be another hour or so before they actually reached them.

"Here, you can have mine." Kankuro offered his own canteen, but Gaara shook his head.

"We need to hurry….Tsunadae-san said it was important. I'll be fine for another hour or so." Gaara started to walk again, and Kankuro noticed that his younger brother had sped up the pace. Something was up.

* * *

Sasori came up the stairway and glanced at them. Naruto noted that he wasn't in Hiroku right now, probably to avoid the hassle of manipulating the large puppet up and down the stairs.

"Get ready, Kakuzu and Hidan are almost near one of the bases." The red head said. "Is he secured?" He gestured to Shikamaru with a simply hand gesture.

"Uh-huh, he has enough food and water for three days." Tobi chirruped happily.

There was obvious disgust in Sasori's face at the sight of Tobi, but only Deidara noticed.

"Then let's go downstairs. We'll seal the door shut so he won't come down as well when he wakes." Sasori continued, ignoring Tobi. "Come on, we shouldn't keep them waiting."

"Alright Danna, coming." Deidara stood up and all four trooped down the stairs. There was another grinding sound, and the door to downstairs was shut. The oil light by Shikamaru flickered out.

"Assemble." Came the dark voice of the leader's hologram.

In moments eight figures fizzled onto the fingers of the giant sealing statue. A ninth figure, larger than the statue itself materialized, and opened it's red demon eye

Kakuzu, Hidan, and the Leader leaped to their positions. Tobi's hologram sat on the palm of the left hand, and the Kyuubi's massive bulk lay behind the hands, not that it mattered where he was; he wouldn't be participating.

"This will take about three days." The Leader said. "Like last time. Be mindful of your physical bodies."

"Three days?" Naruto groaned, his blue eyes standing out from the rest of his hologram body. "But we just caught Shikamaru for interrogation!"

"Don't worry Naruto-senpai!" Tobi chirped. "I left enough food and water for three days!"

"That's not the point." Naruto grumbled, forming a hand seal with the others. "I don't enjoy sitting in one place for three friggin days." The last bit he narrowed his eyes and glared the leader, who ignored him and started the jutsu.

"Fuuin no Jutsu, Genryuu Kyuufuujin!"

The scroll in the statue's mouth came undone, and blue chakra swirled out of it, in the form of nine serpent-like dragons. They converged on the Nanabi jinchuuriki at once, the large amount of energy literally lifting the unconscious form higher until the host hovered almost level with the Statue's face.

The eyes and mouth of the host opened, and red chakra came pouring out and into the statue.

Naruto sighed and contributed his chakra portion to the jutsu. And so the sealing began.

* * *

"Tsunadae-san." Gaara greeted, entering the room. He and Kankuro stood in the center of the room. Sakura, Shizune, and Kakashi were on one side. Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, and Shikaku were on the other side. Tsunadae herself sat behind her desk, her back facing the window that overlooked Konoha.

But there was something missing; Shikamaru and Temari. This was a problem.

"Where is our sister?" Gaara demanded, more worried for his sister than Shikamaru. "She should be here."

Tsunadae grimaced. "Well…it's a long complicated story, but not as long as it is complicated. In fact, it's a rather short story with way too many complications. Your sister is in the hospital for shock treatment."

"What?" Kankuro echoed Gaara's thought out loud. "What happened?"

The fifth fidgeted in her seat. "Shikamaru was kidnapped."

The room became deathly cold. "He had a date with Temari." Tsunadae continued slowly, watching the Kazekage's every expression. "And he was kidnapped."

"I understand this." Gaara said, letting no emotion slip into his voice, or onto his face. "But by whom?"

Tsunadae fidgeted more, something Gaara found very odd. He prepared himself for the worst, well aware that Tsunadae did not just fidget for no reason.

"By Akatsuki." She said, keeping her answers short. Another danger sign.

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "You know who this pair is."

"Yes…" Tsunadae said.

"Well? Who was it?" Kankuro demanded. "Stop messing around and get to the point!"

"Tobi and…Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. The boy who we _thought_ died two years ago." Tsunadae tensed, preparing for an uproar now that she had laid it out in the open.

Gaara's expression was blank, but then he started to chuckle, which then turned to a full blown laughter. The occupants of the room, besides Kankuro, looked at him bewildered.

Gaara quieted down enough to speak. "Forgive me Tsunadae, but we both know that Naruto is dead, and I do not wish to tear open old wounds."

Tsunadae wore a bland expression. "I'm not joking."

Gaara stopped laughing and took a serious tone. "He's _dead_, Tsunadae. There's a small shrine built to _honor_ him. I don't think he would join Akatsuki; after all, they're hunting down all the jinchuuriki."

Tsunadae looked into his eyes, and resisted the urge to quickly look away.

Gaara paused and looked at her as well. Without having to say anything, the truth began to dawn on him. Temari was in the hospital for shock treatment because Shikamaru had been kidnapped. Temari was a strong girl, but if Naruto had kidnapped him…Tsunadae had said that they _thought_ Naruto had died…but he disappeared without a trace…and they all knew that it was unusual for even people to disappear without leaving some sort of sign, ashes, clothes, hair, but it was almost like he never went on the mission.

Things were falling into place. Naruto had managed to join Akatsuki, somehow, and now he was working with them. They had covered up the boys tracks, probably trained him, if the blonde had managed to convince them to do so. And the explosion at one of Orochimaru's bases…well, it was a known fact that he had been a member of Akatsuki at one time, and all the Akatsuki wore rings…so he must have gotten it and caused an explosion…and then…

Gaara sank to his knees. Eyes staring straight ahead as things finally clicked in his mind. He was not laughing now, nor was he smiling. There was a blank emptiness as he came to terms that the person who had saved him had in fact, fallen into darkness himself.

He landed face down in the carpet, unconscious, and was immediately rushed to the Konoha hospital.

Somewhere in the back of Gaara's unconscious mind, Shukaku growled. "_**Traitor to his fellow jinchuuriki…he'll pay…him and Kyuubi.**_"

* * *

_**Sealing: Night One**_

* * *

Shikamaru groaned as he slowly came back to consciousness. His head hurt, he needed to use the bathroom badly, he felt like retching; oh god, why did he ever wake up?

He rolled over so that he was flat on his stomach, and lifted himself on his elbows. He tried to relieve his stomach via barfing, but found there was nothing to come up. The world seemed to sway and dance even though the area he was in was completely dark.

His frazzled mind was being pushed to the limits, and he sank bank down so he was flat on his belly, groaning. He did not even register the presence of a water canteen when his hand brushed up against the smooth leather, and he faded back into the comforting darkness.

* * *

_**Sealing: Day Two**_

* * *

"I'm bored!" Naruto whined.

"Don't even start, **you whiny brat.**" Zetsu growled. "We heard enough of it at the last sealing."

"But I'm really, really, BORED!" Naruto insisted. "I need to be entertained constantly!"

"And how the fuck would we entertain you?" Sasori asked, also annoyed. "Sing?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Tobi will sing!" The masked ninja proclaimed excitedly, eager to show off his singing 'skills'.

There was an instantaneous "No!" from all of the members, and Tobi's shoulders sagged in disappointment.

"But seriously, the kid has a point." Hidan said, picking Naruto's side, if only to annoy his partner. "All we do is fucking stand here and put in chakra. We can hardly do anything else except to take care of ourselves, so I can't perform any of my rituals to Jashin-sama!"

"Who gives a shit about you and your god, Hidan?" Kakuzu asked. He would never admit it, but on several occasions he had found himself bored during the last sealing. At the end of it he was even willing to talk to Hidan, but he always waited for Hidan to start the conversation, which would soon evolve into a heated argument involving blood, curses, and generally lots of violence as the main components.

"Hey! Don't insult Jashin-sama!" Hidan roared at his partner, having hit a touchy subject. "He's better than you're god damn money obsession!"

"I don't see how anything is better than money, but I'll let you keep to your barbaric ways." Kakuzu replied with an aura of smugness.

Hidan, unable to come up with a good retort, settled with "Bastard, nothing is better than Jashin-sama."

The miser smirked underneath his mask, not that anyone could tell.

The cavern lapsed into silence again.

* * *

Shikamaru's eyes slowly fluttered open. His headache was still pounding away, but not as bad as before, if only a little. There was a gnawing pain in his stomach, and he really, _really_, needed to use the bathroom.

Unfortunately the room was pitch black and impossible to see anything. Struggling to remember how he arrived into this place, he shot into a standing position, only to regret it a moment later as the world swayed and danced underneath his face and he stumbled back to his knees, clutching his stomach and panting heavily.

"Gah…" He took a few deep breaths as he struggled to stay awake, empty stomach lurching with the need to vomit, but unable to do so. He sat there for who knows how long, trying to calm himself.

First thing was first, he had to find some food. If he had to use the bathroom and drink his own urine to survive, so be it.

However, he didn't believe they would just let him die. He fumbled around and his hand brushed up against something dry besides the floor. Focusing on it, he realized it was bread, dry, crusty bread, but it was food, and most definitely better than urine.

Without hesitation he stuffed the bread into his mouth, before tottering away to heave it back up moments later, unable to keep it down. The pain in his stomach was now mainly hunger, and he did not hesitate to down the rest while he was in the temporary lull of a relieved stomach.

He left one of the canteens and a small chunk of bread for later; he did not know how long he would be here after all, or when he would be fed.

Next business: the bathroom.

Once that was taken care of Shikamaru sat down to consider his situation.

He had been kidnapped October 10th, and had been out…well, judging by his condition upon waking, at least two days, maybe more. That would make it October 12th.

He also noted, from the complete lack of light, that he was in a windowless room, or some sort of cave. But neither quite fit the condition, because the floor was all dirt, and the entire area had an earthy kind of smell.

A tree then? It was fully possible; the giant redwoods near the northern border of Konoha were big enough to fit the entirety of the Hokage tower inside it. So he would be inside a tree…

So now he had location down. So now there was the situation of his kidnappers.

Shikamaru grimaced as he recalled the blue eyes and blonde hair he had seen before falling unconscious. There was no mistaking that it had belonged to his previously thought dead friend, Naruto Uzumaki. Of course, if it was really Naruto who had kidnapped him…then what the hell was he doing with Akatsuki, and still be _alive_? Something was off….

And another important question, what did they want with him? There was the possibility of a hostage situation, but then why not just use Naruto to do that, even if he was on their side?

So that left….Shikamaru grimaced once more. '_Damn._' They obviously planned to interrogate him about Konoha, and once they got all the information out of him, most likely he would be dead. This reminded him of the time when Sound and Sand had invaded Konoha, and he had trapped the Sound Ninja in a suicide attempt for the others to catch up to Sasuke, who at the time, was pursuing Gaara.

Once again, his life was in danger, and this time there was no Asuma to save him. There was, without a doubt in his mind, no way could he escape from this alive.

Sighing, he finished off another piece of stale bread, saving the other piece for later. Who knew when how long he would remain in here without food? For all he knew, this could be a part of the interrogations already, starving him to the point where he would be giving information away for food. Not like it mattered, since he would be dead soon anyways.

Gently laying n his back, Shikamaru closed his eyes, not that it made much difference since all he was seeing was blackness anyways. It was best now to get some sleep. If they were indeed trying to starve him, the best way he could preserve energy was to rest. That, and perhaps the headache would go away.

In moments the lazy genius was fast asleep, dreaming of a world where no danger existed.

* * *

_**Sealing: Night Two**_

* * *

"I'm bored." Naruto stated without warning.

"WE all are, so shut up." Kisame snapped.

"But I'm really, really, bored!" The youngest member of Akatsuki continued. "ISn't there something else I can do during the sealing?"

"You can shut up and concentrate." Kakuzu said, wrestling with the urge to find wherever the Kyuubi jinchuuriki was located at and strangle him.

"But I don't wanna!" Naruto said.

"Shut up!" This time it was a multiple chorus of voices.

Naruto pouted, but fell silent.

A few minutes later; "I'm still bored."

There was more than one exasperated groan that could be heard.

Kyuubi's hologram shifted. "Shut up, Kit. I'm trying to sleep here."

"But you're always sleeping!" Naruto shot back. "Do something else for a change?"

The giant fox scoffed. "Like what? Maybe you haven't noticed, but I'm sealed up inside you. Not much else to do except maybe try and take over your body."

"Hmph." Naruto scowled, but fell silent once more.

* * *

_**Sealing: Day Three**_

* * *

"Twenty-four more hours to go." Deidara sighed. "Whoo." There was little, if any enthusiasm to his voice.

"Actually, it's twenty hours." Tobi pointed out in a (non-successful) attempt to cheer them up.

"All the better." Came the younger blonde's voice, which had turned monotonous. "Can this get any more boring?"

"Nope." Hidan said. "This is probably as boring as it can get in life. Fuck, _sleeping_ is better than this."

"Only because you often dream about bloody scenes when you sleep." Kakuzu growled. "Or you're precious _non-existent _god."

"Shut up, you money whore!" Hidan snapped. "Jashin-sama does too exist!"

"I'm sure he does, Hidan."

"Fuck you!" The silver haired man snarled. "Just you wait; when Jashin-sama comes down he'll smite all you fuckers and throw your souls down into the pits of hell!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "If Kyuubi doesn't do that first."

Kisame laughed. "As if you'll break to a giant talking fox."

This was followed by more laughter; Naruto had an iron will that all members had experienced first-hand in varying ways.

It became silent again.

Gaara was sitting on the edge of his hospital bed in Konoha, fully dressed. "Taking me here was not needed." He said in an icier than normal voice.

Sakura laughed nervously. "Well, you collapsed and we became worried…."

Gaara sighed and massaged his temples and glanced at Tsunadae, who was leaning against the wall by the door. "Tell me everything."

The fifth sighed. "Well, long story short, we were celebrating and suddenly ANBU detected two Akatsuki members, one being Naruto and the other apparently being someone named Tobi. They had knocked out Shikamaru and had been making an escape. We were all….shocked."

Tsunadae took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. "They killed several ANBU, almost killed Chouji, and made an escape. Several squads pursued, but they got away. IT's been about three days since then."

Gaara nodded slowly, mind already working furiously for reasons why. "Take me to the site, please."

Tsunadae nodded. "Kakashi!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi slid the door open and walked through. "This way, please."

Gaara followed him out wordlessly, Kankuro quickly running after him.

"Do you think he's alright?" Sakura asked.

"…No." Tsunadae said, dipping her head. "I think…it hasn't fully set in yet."

* * *

_**Sealing: Night Three, Final Few Minutes**_

* * *

The demon chakra seeping out of the host had slowed to a trickle. It was almost done. The air was tense as each member anticipated the end of the sealing.

Then, all the demon chakra that had been seeping out of the host stopped, and the body hit the ground, the dragon like chakra already fading away. It was over.

There was a moment of complete silence in which nobody spoke, then;

"Finally, it's about time-"

"-gotta perform rituals for Jashin-sama-"

"-I need to make sure no one stole my money-"

"-think my clay dried out some-"

"-fucking dehydrated-"

"-Yaaaaay!"

"Shut up Tobi!" Deidara snapped at the masked ninja.

"That is enough. Silence." Came the deep voice of the leader. Instantly the voices stopped. "You all did well. Deidara, bring in the Ichibi next."

"Yes, Leader-sama."

"Good. That is all." The leader fizzled out, and soon, so did all the others.

Naruto was last to go, staring silently at the body of what used to be the Nanabi jinchuuriki.

Kyuubi glanced at him. "It's over. Six more to go and we'll be next."

"Yea….I know." They both faded away.

* * *

**The last bit of the chapter was a rush job, but I hope it's okay. **

**Constructive Criticism and Compliments welcome. Flames and Spams will be laughed at.**

**Tropi**


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